Word Count: 2,913 Words
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One could well imagine Feng Qing Er's state of mind when she learned that her tribe had agreed to the deal with the Dragon Kings of the South, West, and North to assist them in besieging Eastern Dragon Island and capturing the new Dragon Emperor who possessed the Dragon Phoenix bloodline.
She had been to Eastern Dragon Island herself!
Back then, her own body had been used as the vessel to hold the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit! How could she not know who this 'new Dragon Emperor' the Three Demon Phoenix Saints spoke of was? She had even met her in person!
'Eastern Dragon Island... why does it have to be Eastern Dragon Island...'
Feng Qing Er's eyes went unfocused, as if she had just received news of some apocalyptic disaster. Her legs weakened beneath her, and she stumbled backward several involuntary steps.
The Three Demon Phoenix Saints took her visible terror as fear of making an enemy of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Their displeasure was immediate.
"Hmph! Look at yourself, Feng Qing Er! Where is the bearing befitting our tribe's Young Tribe Leader!" Ying Huang swept a broad hand through the air, his face dark with disapproval as he seized the chance to cut her down.
Kun Huang's eyes narrowed slightly before his lips curved into a condescending smile. "Hehe, one can hardly blame Qing Er for feeling timid. Our tribe was indeed once far inferior to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, serving as little more than their food. But the present is not the past. The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe has declined; their bloodline withers. As long as we capture Eastern Dragon Island's new Dragon Emperor, our Tribe Leader will certainly lead the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe into a new era."
Ying Huang and Kun Huang belonged to different branch lineages. Feng Qing Er's inheritance of the Young Tribe Leader position had effectively weakened their branches' influence. Of course they would seize any opportunity to suppress her, ideally even finding grounds to strip her of the title entirely.
The beautiful woman beside them, Feng Huang, knit her brows tightly at their words. If the Tribe Leader witnessed this scene, he might very well rescind Feng Qing Er's position as Young Tribe Leader on the spot.
"Qing Er, if cultivation has left you exhausted, then stay within the tribe and rest. There's no need for you to accompany us." Feng Huang shook her head. Bringing Feng Qing Er along was never about asking her to contribute in battle; it was simply to give her the chance to earn merit and build achievements for her eventual bid to become Tribe Leader.
Feng Qing Er immediately understood the three Supreme Elders had misread her reaction!
"Three Supreme Elders! Eastern Dragon Island... absolutely cannot be besieged!" She gritted her teeth, her voice low but carrying unmistakable resolve.
Her rebuttal made all three Supreme Elders' expressions darken. Disappointment flickered plainly in their eyes.
"Hmph!" Ying Huang snorted coldly. A wave of Dou Saint might burst outward, and with a thunderous boom, the pressure slammed into Feng Qing Er and hurled her back several meters. A mouthful of fresh blood spilled from her lips.
Even with her cultivation at the Six-Change Dou Venerate level, the gap between her and a Dou Saint remained incomparably vast. A mere flare of aura was enough to injure her.
"Feng Qing Er, know your place! You are merely the Acting Young Tribe Leader. Once Jiu Feng returns, you will be nothing. Our decisions are not yours to question." Ying Huang flicked his sleeves angrily. That a junior would dare question the three of them was unthinkable.
Kun Huang also wore a displeased expression, a chill gleaming in his eyes. "Feng Qing Er, you disappoint me deeply. Perhaps the position of Young Tribe Leader does not suit you after all."
Feng Qing Er forced herself upright, hair disheveled, and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. She knew that right now, she was the only one who could save the tribe!
If they had been discussing besieging any of the other three Dragon Islands, South, West, or North, she would have clapped her hands in approval. But Eastern Dragon Island was the one they absolutely could not touch! Because behind Eastern Dragon Island stood the Yan Alliance. Stood Xiao Yan!
She wiped away another trace of blood from her lips, her expression hardening into that of someone who had resigned herself to death. "Three Supreme Elders, Qing Er is not afraid to die. It's just that Eastern Dragon Island... truly cannot be besieged!"
Feng Huang's delicate brows drew together as she took in both Feng Qing Er's battered appearance and the resolve in her voice. "Why?"
A look of inner struggle flitted across Feng Qing Er's face. She knew that if she revealed the connection between Eastern Dragon Island and Xiao Yan, and he ever discovered she had spoken, she would almost certainly die.
"Because... because behind Eastern Dragon Island stands the Yan Alliance's Xiao Yan. The new Dragon Emperor was brought there by Xiao Yan himself. Even the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit that awakened the Dragon Emperor's bloodline came from Xiao Yan, who obtained it from Saint Zhao Hua's inheritance." She slowly closed her eyes as she spoke, like someone resigning herself to fate, and laid bare the truth about Eastern Dragon Island's Dragon Emperor.
The Three Demon Phoenix Saints' eyes all flashed with shock.
"And also... when the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree appeared in the Ancient Wasteland Region, the Yan Alliance also reached the deepest part of the tree. The one who obtained the Bodhisattva Heart... is very likely Xiao Yan. As for Jiu Feng... he has almost certainly been killed by Xiao Yan."
The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was extraordinarily special. Entering its interior was equivalent to stepping into another world. Soul jades, spiritual links, all of it would be severed. There was no way to determine whether someone inside had lived or died.
Only now did genuine surprise register on the faces of the Three Demon Phoenix Saints. Jiu Feng had not been in seclusion inheriting the Bodhisattva Heart at all; he had already fallen to Xiao Yan's hand!
Which meant Feng Qing Er had been lying from the very beginning to cover for Xiao Yan!
"So it's the Yan Alliance... Since Xiao Yan obtained the Bodhisattva Heart, he must have reached the Dou Saint realm."
"No wonder the three Dragon Islands of the South, West, and North offered such generous terms to invite our participation. It seems Eastern Dragon Island is not simply home to a new Dragon Emperor; there's a Yan Alliance standing behind it."
The Three Demon Phoenix Saints' expressions had grown grave. Although the Yan Alliance's momentum had slowed compared to a year and a half ago, having entered a period of recuperation after dismantling the Profound Sky Sect and occupying the Yellow Springs Mountain Range, it remained undeniable that the Yan Alliance now stood as one of the three strongest factions in the Central Plains.
If Eastern Dragon Island truly had deep ties to the Yan Alliance, the new Dragon Emperor indeed stood a real chance of unifying the Dragon Islands entirely.
Feng Qing Er saw the three begin to deliberate and finally allowed herself a small breath of relief. "Two years ago, at the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, Xiao Yan likely refined the Bodhisattva Heart and broke through to 1-star Dou Saint. That's why the Yan Alliance launched its offensive, destroying the Profound Sky Sect and allowing the Snake-People Tribe to occupy the Yellow Springs Mountain Range."
"From what I know of him, given his talent, after so much time has passed, he may even have reached peak 1-star Dou Saint. I fear that even Supreme Elder Kun Huang would be no match for him, and Elder Feng Huang, with your late 2-star Dou Saint cultivation, might only fight him to a draw."
In truth, she was still underestimating Xiao Yan. She thought he had come to the Azure Skies Heaven Realm merely to temper his body; she had no idea that he hadn't even needed the Bodhisattva Heart to break through to Dou Saint!
Otherwise, she wouldn't have claimed that Feng Huang could still hold him to a draw.
Her high estimation that a mere peak 1-star Dou Saint could hold his own against the late 2-star Dou Saint Feng Huang naturally roused displeasure in Kun Huang and the others.
"Even if Xiao Yan has reached peak 1-star Dou Saint, he is merely an alchemist." Kun Huang flicked his sleeve dismissively. "So what if he obtained the Bodhisattva Heart? His combat strength cannot compare to mine."
"Still, Qing Er's concern has some basis. If Eastern Dragon Island truly does have a deep relationship with the Yan Alliance, then perhaps for this transaction we should—"
Before Feng Huang could finish, an ethereal voice drifted in from all directions, cutting her off.
"No further deliberation is necessary. Everything will proceed according to the original plan."
!?
"Paying respects to Tribe Leader Huang Tian!!" the three Phoenix Saints cried in unison.
A figure clad in purple-gold robes appeared suddenly out of thin air, standing with hands clasped behind his back. A pair of golden pupils radiating overwhelming majesty swept the hall before settling on Feng Qing Er.
This was the current Tribe Leader of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, Huang Tian!
A powerful bloodline pressure burst forth in an instant, crashing down on Feng Qing Er. Her knees cracked against the stone floor. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, her face drained of all color. She was utterly powerless to resist.
Feng Huang rose and stepped forward, shielding her from the brunt of the pressure. "Tribe Leader, you've emerged from seclusion?"
Huang Tian shook his head. "This is merely an avatar. Completely refining that Divine Feather will still require a few more years. Once I exit seclusion, my cultivation should reach late-stage 5-star Dou Saint, perhaps even its peak."
The pupils of all Three Demon Phoenix Saints constricted!
Just like the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had inherited their ancestor's homeland and possessed a powerful legacy. But unlike the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe where, centuries ago, Yao Xiaotian and Yao Ce had conspired to harm the most gifted Yao Ming, preventing the tribe from breaking through the final trial of the Yellow Spring Stone Tablet and obtaining the complete inheritance and Essence Blood of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had succeeded.
Huang Tian had obtained the full legacy left behind by the last Tribe Leader of the Ancient Heaven Phoenixes, along with a Divine Feather infused with Essence Blood.
His expression dark, Huang Tian looked down at Feng Qing Er. "Our Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's alliance with the three Dragon Kings of the South, West, and North is not merely for the Dragon Phoenix bloodline. More importantly, we cannot allow the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe's four Dragon Islands to unify."
!!!?
"A divided Ancient Void Dragon Tribe is a good Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. If the new Dragon Emperor were to unify the three splintered Dragon Islands, that would be an outcome we absolutely cannot accept, let alone the fact that Eastern Dragon Island has birthed a new Dragon Phoenix."
Only now did Feng Qing Er truly understand. All of this was impossible to stop.
Because the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe would absolutely never allow the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe to emerge from division and become whole again.
Even if Eastern Dragon Island's new Dragon Emperor killed all three Dragon Kings and was left gravely weakened in the process, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe still could not accept it. A complete Dragon Island represented far more than mere territory; it represented a complete inheritance!
Take Hei Qing, for example. He actually possessed the strength and potential to break through to Rank 9, yet because Dragon Island's inheritance had been fragmented, his cultivation had stalled.
A complete Dragon Island meant inheritance and resources in full. Once the four Dragon Islands merged and the Dragon Emperor reappeared, the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe's strength could skyrocket in a very short time!
By then, even if Huang Tian inherited the full legacy of the Ancient Heaven Phoenix, it would prove useless. The Ancient Void Dragon bloodline was inherently a tier above theirs. Combined with the Dragon Phoenix bloodline and a unified Dragon Island, even if the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe produced ten or twenty more Dou Saints, they still couldn't hope to stand against them.
The fundamental interests of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe and the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe were in direct conflict!
Feng Qing Er could not stop any of this from happening.
Huang Tian's form grew fainter and fainter, his disembodied voice drifting through the hall. "If Eastern Dragon Island proves stronger, assist the three Dragon Islands of the South, West, and North. If they prove stronger, assist Eastern Dragon Island instead."
"We require a divided Ancient Void Dragon Tribe."
"A mere Yan Alliance is not qualified to make us retreat. Not even the Hall of Souls can do that."
"Yes, Tribe Leader!"
The three Phoenix Saints answered in unison. Ying Huang and Kun Huang exchanged a glance, eyes brimming with fervent admiration for Huang Tian. They had fixated solely on the Dragon Phoenix bloodline; neither had considered this deeper angle!
The beautiful woman turned to Feng Qing Er. "Qing Er, you will remain within the tribe. You are not to participate in this matter."
"Hmph. You've concealed far too much. No matter the reason, you are unfit to hold the position of Young Tribe Leader."
"As for how you will be dealt with, we shall discuss it upon our return."
Space tore open. Beside the Three Demon Phoenix Saints, several tribe members whose strength had reached Rank 8 followed them into the void.
Feng Qing Er sank into a chair, eyes vacant, gaze hollow. Had she never witnessed Xiao Yan's strength firsthand, she would have agreed with the Tribe Leader without a second thought.
The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had spent thousands of years building itself to reach its current glory. They could never accept returning to the days when they were hunted as food by the Ancient Void Dragons or enslaved by the Ancient Heaven Phoenixes. Even with only a sliver of a chance, they would gamble everything. After all, the worst outcome would simply be a return to that ancient state.
Yet she had begun to sense that the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe was heading toward a fate even more miserable than their ancient days.
…
Xiao Yan, who had left the Azure Skies Heaven Realm some time ago, naturally knew nothing of this.
After a year and a half, he had completely refined both the Bodhisattva Heart and the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Essence Blood, raising his strength to late-stage 2-star Dou Saint. Although he hadn't managed to break through to 3-star, he was already more than satisfied with his progress.
He made a trip to the Yellow Springs Mountain Range and discovered that Cai Lin had not yet emerged from seclusion. After spending a few days playing with Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai, he departed without further delay.
"Late-stage 2-star Dou Saint! Hahaha, the world is vast, and I, Xiao Yan, can roam wherever I please!" He soared through the skies above the Beast Region, crossing its entire expanse with carefree abandon.
Along the way, he sensed several extremely powerful magical beasts. There were no small number at the Half-Saint level, and he even detected a Rank 9 Demon Tiger that had assumed human form, lurking deep within the mountain forests.
The Beast Region was indeed a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Beyond the three great magical beast tribes, there were reclusive magical beast tribes whose strength was not weak. Yet to Xiao Yan, even these Rank 9 magical beasts were not enough to make him wary.
Just as he had said: the vast heavens and earth were his to roam!
In the entire Beast Region, the only beings capable of surpassing him in strength were likely Huang Tian of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe and the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe.
'It's been a long time since I've seen that girl Zi Yan. Since I'm already in the Beast Region, I might as well pay her a visit and see if there's anything I can help with.' Xiao Yan grinned, missing Zi Yan quite a bit.
After confirming his direction, he swept a hand through the air and tore open the void in an instant. With his current cultivation, calling a single step a thousand miles would hardly be an exaggeration.
Space twisted and warped around him. Though Xiao Yan appeared to walk one step at a time, each stride carried him across vast stretches of space.
'Hm? The Void Lightning Pool?'
Just as he neared Eastern Dragon Island, his Spiritual Strength, now at the late Heavenly State following his refinement of the Bodhisattva Heart, picked up a familiar presence.
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, a glint of interest flickering across his face. "Back then, even the Headmaster, a member of the Lei Clan, was driven out by the Black Demon Lightning in the depths of the Void Lightning Pool. My cultivation now far surpasses his. Might as well take a look at its deepest reaches."